April 8, 2010 at 8:58 am

The Recurring Marketing Theme: Tiger and his Dad, Earl Woods

by twistedsifter

Photograph by K. Kassens

Unless you live in Kyrgyzstan where golf isn’t that big of a deal right now (for whatever reason), you may have heard that Tiger Woods is playing at the Masters this weekend? It’s his first golf tournament since that ‘thing’ a few months back. As if there wasn’t enough coverage around the event, Nike Golf, the one sponsor that has stood by firmly by Tiger’s side, released a new television spot last night (April 7, 2010) with a voiceover from Tiger’s best friend; his late father, Earl Woods.

Timing is everything, and this is a bold move for the global icon (the brand, not Tiger). After exhaustive reading through countless comment sections and the endless chatter of Twitter, people are understandably divided on this television spot (edging slightly towards the negative, but this is the Internet). Regardless, Nike has captured some serious attention and put their brand along side the Masters itself, perhaps even over-shadowing it (until the weekend of course). Now all Nike needs is a memorable performance from their prodigal son…

Enough with the babble, where’s the damn commercial you say!?! Well before you watch, just remember this has been a recurring theme throughout the marketing career of Tiger. There have been three previous spots with his father, Earl, and I’ve put them all together for you in one sexy vid 🙂

No patience? Then just check out the latest spot below. But you are doing yourself a disservice not watching all of them!

EARL WOODS

– Earl Dennison Woods (March 5, 1932 – May 3, 2006) was a US Army infantry officer who served two tours of duty in Vietnam, and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel
– He was a college-level baseball player, writer, and father of top golfer Tiger Woods. Earl Woods started Tiger Woods in golf at a very young age, and coached him exclusively for his early years in the sport
– Woods married Barbara Gary on March 18, 1954, in Abilene, Kansas. They had three children: Earl Dennison Jr. (1955), Kevin Dale (1957), and Royce Renee (1961)
– Woods met his second wife-to-be, Kultida ‘Tida’ Woods, in 1966, while serving in Thailand. They married in 1969 in Brooklyn, New York and their son Eldrick was born in 1975
– His son’s nickname, ‘Tiger’, comes from Earl Woods’ friendship with Colonel Vuong Dang “Tiger” Phong, a pilot in the Vietnamese Army
– Earl Woods was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1998. He survived it, but died from a heart attack at his home in Cypress, California in 2006 at the age of 74. He was buried in Manhattan, Kansas

source: Wikipedia

Fathers have influenced many of golf’s stars, whether by their absence or their presence. Chester Hogan killed himself when Ben was a boy. Robert Tyre Jones and Charles Nicklaus were strong figures in the lives of their sons, Bobby and Jack. No golf father, though, gained a higher profile than Earl Woods, who was in a second marriage and 43 years old when Tiger was born in 1975. Jack Nicklaus, also 30 when his dad died, said: “My father was my best friend, my mentor and perhaps my greatest support system. Earl was all of that to Tiger.”

Source – Golf Digest